In a blistering letter, Sir Stelios argues that its obligations to pay for the planes will drive easyJet into insolvency by December this year.

He said that some directors, who he regards as “scoundrels”, have “over-ordered” planes from Airbus, a company he accused of being “masters of bribery”.

He added: “If the Airbus contract is cancelled, at least there is a good chance a portion of easyJet’s jobs will survive. If the Scoundrels keep paying Airbus and then bankrupt the company, all 15,000 direct easyJet and many more other jobs dependent on easyJet will be lost.”

Sir Stelios said he was willing to pay out to any whistleblower “who provides useful information that leads to the cancellation of the order”.

It is unusual for whistleblowers to be financially rewarded by investors in the company.

However, in the US whistleblowers can be given up to a third of the money that the government recovers in some fraud cases.

The promise from the company’s founder comes just over a week before shareholders are set to take a vote that could cost Mr Lundgren his job.

Sir Stelios has called for the chief executive, chairman John Barton, and two non-executives, to be removed from their positions.